The Woman and the Mud Toy

A folk tale

Translated by: Fateh Kassab

It is said that a young woman from the era of the harem was complaining about the intransigence of her husband and her servitude. She did not dare to refuse his orders and prohibitions and could not stand against him. Therefore she got depressed.

One day, an old woman passed by and saw that the young woman was very sad. The old woman asked about what happened to cause all that sadness. The young woman told her all about her husband. The old woman sympathized with her and advised her saying:
"You must make a toy of mud, and hide it in a safe place. Whenever your husband humiliates you, talk to it, cry at it and even curse it as if it were your husband." 

Weeks and months passed, and the husband kept on in his evil and rough actions with his wife. The poor woman took the advice literally and found great comfort in that.

One day while she was cleaning and sweeping the room, the mud toy fell from her hand and was broken. She saw worms come out of the toy. She was confused and could not explain what she saw. When she saw the old woman again, she asked her about it.

 She, happily, said to her:
"You are very lucky my daughter! If you had not broken the toy, your heart would have been broken by anguish and sorrow. Those worms were your worries and sorrows that you told to the toy. "